Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You guys have given me much to think about....the comparisons are so helpful. And the rescue suggestions, I hear ya! I have petfinder bookmarked. Since we had rotties in the past I'm used to having a dog that needs socialization and to know it's place in the house hold. At this point I may be a little more drawn to the ACDs....
my previous australian shepherd never bit anyone in her life. she did chase after some kids and bite at their shoes. kids who want to run around an aussie may find themselves on the floor pretty fast. kids seem to get a kick out of it and i was never worried that she was trying to hurt anyone. the only aggression she ever showed was to a rottweiler who was aggressively approaching her while my mom was walking her and a maltese.
the australian shepherd is going to want to play with you all the time. she will love you with everything she has. you have to be someone that doesnt mind a dog that is all over you and doesnt let you relax to watch tv. she has gotten better over time (she is still only 10 months) but i remember laying down watching tv and suddenly seeing her running full steam straight at me. i yelled "holy crap" and then she jumped on me full force. now they are usually not full steam jumps and typically she just walks all over me. so id say for the aussie, if you are willing to give the love you will get it back 10 times more. plus, she looks as if god himself created her to be the most beautiful thing he could make.
my previous australian shepherd never bit anyone in her life. she did chase after some kids and bite at their shoes. kids who want to run around an aussie may find themselves on the floor pretty fast. kids seem to get a kick out of it and i was never worried that she was trying to hurt anyone. the only aggression she ever showed was to a rottweiler who was aggressively approaching her while my mom was walking her and a maltese.
the australian shepherd is going to want to play with you all the time. she will love you with everything she has. you have to be someone that doesnt mind a dog that is all over you and doesnt let you relax to watch tv. she has gotten better over time (she is still only 10 months) but i remember laying down watching tv and suddenly seeing her running full steam straight at me. i yelled "holy crap" and then she jumped on me full force. now they are usually not full steam jumps and typically she just walks all over me. so id say for the aussie, if you are willing to give the love you will get it back 10 times more. plus, she looks as if god himself created her to be the most beautiful thing he could make.
LOL...Very pretty dog and she sounds absolutely typical for the breed. I had a co worker who has an 8 yr old aussie and this dog is still one to walk up and constantly drop toys in your lap in hopes of playing fetch. I would always have 8-9 toys on me by the time I left. We would camp at Big Bear and it was this dogs MISSION to collect every single pine cone in sight. She was a funny dog...absolutely can't imagine what she was like when she was young and had even MORE energy.
One note on the ACD for the OP...Some of them (it seems many) do have a very unpleasant screaming sort of noise they seem to make rather than a deep bark. It sounds like loud rapid fire yelping and it can be pretty intense,
but my experience has been that they seem to be pretty sensible when it comes to appropriate barking...I have yet to see an endlessly yappy one.
this is my aussie, lucy, that we had before skye. not as strikingly beautiful as skye but she was an awesome dog that we all loved. she was also super intelligent and when tested you knew she would do anything to protect us.
We have a Aussie Shepherd, 15 years old, outstanding cattle herder, retired. He is loving and protective and dependable. One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is that Aussies are prone to hip displasia. My "Bosco" has arthritis now and only herds a few cats around the neighborhood since we moved away from the farm. Their instinct is to herd. After we sold our farm, our Aussie would go to the neighbors and herd their cows. When they sold their cows, he herded the deer and wild turkey.
LTTP and DandJ........Thanks. I think he's pretty adorable myself.
Speaking of health issues. From what I have read, Cardigans are supposed to be one of the healthiest of all the herding breeds. Not sure how true that is but if you notice they aren't as popular as some of the other breeds.
I am looking into adopting an older ACD from New Hope Cattle Dog in Colorado. Most of the dogs on their site are too young for my senior household (and likely were given up for having too much energy for their households).
I really want to adopt a dog who is not likely to get adopted due to age, disability, inability to live with cats or kids. The dog I'm looking into is nine.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
